Match the report title.
Look for "Distributor rejected EPUB validation error" or the closest title above. Keep the original EPUBCheck, KDP, or Kindle Previewer wording if it differs.
EPUB error guide
Draft2Digital, Kobo, B&N, or IngramSpark EPUB rejected
Use this when Draft2Digital, Smashwords, Kobo Writing Life, Barnes & Noble Press, or IngramSpark rejects an EPUB and you need to know whether the file has a standard EPUB structure blocker before another upload.
You see
A distributor or store rejects the EPUB.
Upload when the rejection mentions validation, file structure, EPUBCheck, missing resources, metadata, navigation, or package errors.
You get
A platform handoff report.
The report keeps the platform wording, affected EPUB path, issue family, repair decision, and manual reason together.
Do not upload
Rights, pricing, listing, or policy issues.
Territories, tax, account state, ISBN ownership, store metadata, content review, and cover listing rules are platform workflows.
Scan when the message does not name the affected path. The report shows affected paths and repair decisions, not manuscript text.
Fixed-layout, DRM, or source-workflow issue? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.
Match these report titles
- Distributor rejected EPUB validation error
- Draft2Digital or Smashwords EPUB rejected
- Kobo, Barnes & Noble Press, or IngramSpark EPUB rejected
- Platform EPUBCheck-style package blocker
Use this guide when
Your message matches "Distributor rejected EPUB validation error" or one of the report titles above.
Upload if
You have the exported reflowable .epub and need the affected path, file, field, or repair decision before editing.
Handle outside this tool
Use the source tool or publishing workflow for DOCX, PDF, KPF, KCB, fixed-layout, comics, image-first books, DRM, visual design, or KDP listing and approval problems.
Read the scan report
Decide if this report item matches.
Use the report label, affected file, and repair decision together. A matching title alone is not enough if the file path or EPUB structure points to a different problem.
Check the affected file first.
Use the Affected area, Source file, Target file, or Problem type rows before editing OPF, nav, XHTML, CSS, or image paths.
Follow the repair decision.
Repairable means one clear structural change. Needs review or Not supported means use the named file, source project, or platform step.
Keep with your repair note.
Copy these fields from the report instead of rebuilding the fix from memory.
Source file
Target path or field
Original error
Repair decision
Next step
1. Example report output
What a distributor-rejection report should show.
A useful report keeps the platform message and EPUB evidence in one place so the next owner can act.
Platform message
The Draft2Digital, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Press, or IngramSpark rejection wording you saved.
Affected EPUB path
content.opf, nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, chapter XHTML, image, stylesheet, container.xml, or ZIP package entry.
Issue family
Duplicate id, missing resource, broken anchor, metadata, navigation, manifest, media type, container, or ZIP wrapper.
Decision
Checked repair, manual formatter check, source export fix, or platform workflow.
The report should make it clear whether to edit the EPUB, return to the source formatter, or continue inside the platform dashboard.
2. Next step
Choose EPUB repair, formatter handoff, or platform workflow.
The platform name alone is not enough. Use the rejection wording and the EPUB path together.
Upload scan
Use this when the platform rejected the EPUB file itself.
Scan if the message sounds like validation, EPUBCheck, missing file, metadata, navigation, or package structure.
Formatter handoff
Use this when the issue depends on source intent.
Send the path, original message, repair decision, and manual reason to the person editing Sigil, calibre, or the source project.
Platform workflow
Use this when the rejection is not a file-structure issue.
Handle rights, ISBNs, territories, listing metadata, cover upload, account state, and policy review inside the platform.
3. Concrete path example
A platform rejection should be reduced to an EPUB path if possible.
Once the path is clear, you can decide whether the fix is safe or needs source review.
Platform rejection: IngramSpark or Kobo rejects the EPUB for validation problems. Report: Original error: saved platform rejection line Affected file: OEBPS/content.opf Issue family: missing dcterms:modified metadata Decision: checked OPF metadata repair only if the package field is clear
If the scan does not find a file-structure blocker, do not invent one. Continue with the platform workflow.
Quick decision
Decide whether the rejection belongs inside the EPUB file.
This page covers high-intent platform searches without turning the scanner into a publishing support desk.
Good fit
The rejection names EPUB validation or package structure.
Scan for OPF, manifest, nav, NCX, resource, anchor, media-type, container, and ZIP blockers.
Manual fit
The platform message is vague but file-related.
The report can find standard EPUB blockers and give a copyable handoff even when automatic repair is not safe.
Not this tool
The rejection is commercial or policy-related.
Use the platform dashboard for rights, pricing, territories, tax, ISBN, account, listing metadata, or content review.
Start here
Check standard EPUB blockers before changing platform settings.
Distributor and store dashboards can give broad rejection wording. Start by checking whether the EPUB itself has duplicate ids, missing resources, broken anchors, OPF metadata, navigation, manifest, media-type, container, or ZIP packaging issues.
What it means
A platform rejection can be a store workflow issue, but it can also be a standard EPUB structure problem inside the file.
Can it be fixed automatically?
EPUB Fixer can help when the rejection maps to one clear EPUB structure issue that can be checked again with EPUBCheck.
What to check next
Save the platform name and exact rejection wording.
What not to assume
It does not handle platform approval, rights, ISBN ownership, taxes, territories, pricing, categories, descriptions, cover listing uploads, policy review, account setup, or final retailer ingestion decisions.
Common situations
Common distributor and store EPUB rejection cases.
Start from the part of the rejection that sounds like a file problem.
The platform says the EPUB failed validation.
The file may have EPUBCheck-style blockers even if it opens locally.
Scan the same EPUB and keep the original platform line with the report.
The rejection mentions metadata or package information.
OPF metadata can be broken even when store listing metadata looks correct.
Check content.opf before changing dashboard fields.
The rejection mentions links, files, or navigation.
Missing resources, missing anchors, duplicate ids, or nav/toc wiring can fail platform ingestion.
Use the affected source and target paths before another upload.
Platform rejection phrases this page can help with
Draft2Digital, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Press, or IngramSpark EPUB rejected: EPUBCheck-style validation, metadata, navigation, link, anchor, manifest, package, or ZIP blocker.
Where these platform EPUB rejections appear
A distributor or publishing platform rejects an EPUB during upload, validation, conversion, ingestion, or quality checks.
What it means
A distributor rejection can still be a normal EPUBCheck-style problem.
A platform rejection can be a store workflow issue, but it can also be a standard EPUB structure problem inside the file.
Common file-level causes include OPF metadata issues, missing modified metadata, duplicate ids, broken anchors, missing resources, disconnected navigation, manifest mismatches, wrong media types, wrong container paths, and ZIP packaging mistakes.
Before you edit
Separate platform workflow from EPUB package evidence.
Do not change store metadata or re-export blindly until you know whether the failing file has a concrete EPUB path, package field, or validator family behind the rejection.
- 1Save the platform name and exact rejection wording.
- 2Scan only the EPUB file that the platform rejected.
- 3Check whether the report maps the rejection to OPF, nav, NCX, XHTML, image, CSS, container, manifest, media type, or ZIP packaging.
- 4Use checked repair only when one structural change is clear and the repaired file passes EPUBCheck again.
- 5Use the copyable report handoff when a formatter needs the path, original error, repair decision, and manual reason.
- 6Keep platform policy, account, rights, ISBN, territories, pricing, listing metadata, and cover upload work outside this scanner.
Why KDP checks it
Why distributors and stores can reject the same EPUB differently.
EPUBCheck
EPUBCheck checks EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files against the official rules and reports package, markup, link, and file-reference problems.
EPUB 3.3 package rules
The OPF file is the EPUB's map: metadata, file list, reading order, and navigation wiring. KDP and EPUBCheck use it to decide whether the book package is coherent.
Can this be fixed safely?
When a platform rejection can be repaired here.
When automatic repair is safe
EPUB Fixer can help when the rejection maps to one clear EPUB structure issue that can be checked again with EPUBCheck.
When you need manual review
It does not handle platform approval, rights, ISBN ownership, taxes, territories, pricing, categories, descriptions, cover listing uploads, policy review, account setup, or final retailer ingestion decisions.
Before / after example
Before: a distributor rejects the EPUB and the scan finds a missing OPF metadata field. After: repair only the clear package metadata issue and run EPUBCheck again. Before: the platform rejects rights or listing metadata; handle that in the platform workflow.
Ready to retry?
Scan the rejected EPUB before another platform upload.
Upload the same EPUB that the platform rejected. The report can show whether the blocker is a checked structure repair, a formatter handoff, or outside this scanner.
Upload EPUB to scanFAQ
Questions authors ask about distributor EPUB rejections.
Can EPUB Fixer guarantee Draft2Digital, Kobo, B&N, or IngramSpark acceptance?
No. It can check EPUB structure blockers and sometimes create a checked repair. Final acceptance still depends on each platform's workflow and policies.
Should I add a new page for every platform rejection?
Not without GSC evidence. This page groups similar distributor and store validation intent until real query data proves a platform needs its own page.
What should I send to a formatter?
Copy the report summary with the platform line, affected path, original error, repair decision, manual reason, and next check.
What if the scan is clean but the platform still rejects the EPUB?
Then the issue may be platform workflow, policy, account, rights, listing, or cover upload rather than EPUB structure.